As the East Coast braces for Hurricane Sandy, reports are already coming in that the storm has left at least 39 dead across the Caribbean. The hurricane will next track north where it is expected to merge with a winter storm crossing the continental U.S.

When the cold air from the winter storm collides with the warm air of the hurricane, the resultant "Frakenstorm" is expected to unleash a burst of destructive weather. If the storm wreaks havoc over the heavily populated Eastern U.S., experts are predicting at least $1 billion in damages.

From "Frakenstorm" to the "Storm of the Century," Hurricane Sandy's collision course with the cold front out of the west has earned it a range of unique superlatives.

The Associated Press reports Sandy may be much worse than the 1991 storm famously known as the "Perfect Storm:"

Sandy is "looking like a very serious storm that could be historic," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground. "Mother Nature is not saying, `Trick or treat.' It's just going to give tricks."

Some have compared the tempest to the so-called Perfect Storm that struck off the coast of New England in 1991, but that one hit a less populated area. Nor is this one like last year's Halloween storm, which was merely an early snowfall.

"The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion" this time, Masters said. "Yeah, it will be worse."

The map below comes from ESRI and shows continuously updated hurricane information including the storm's projected path, storm surge, weather warnings, and the latest user-derived updates from social networks. You can track Hurricane Sandy now:

Mark Micheli is Special Projects Editor for Government Executive Media Group. He's the editor of Excellence in Government Online and contributes to GovExec,NextGov and Defense One. Previously, he worked on national security and emergency management issues with the US Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security. He's a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and studied at Drake University.

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